Reversible terminal member for switch points



June 23,. 1931. R. E. EINSTEIN ET AL 1,811,620

REVERSIBLE TERMINAL MEMBER FOR SWITCH POINTS Filed on. 25, 1930 f t 5 E5. ye 4 A F0561? r wgi ln 55mm MIN 6. 557715;

91' To RA/Exs the track.

'nese steel or other material RQBERT E. EINST'EIN,=OF ST. LCUIS, AND BENJAMIN B. BETTS, OF WEBSTER GROVES 1 1:11am j sir-A res PATENT OFFICE MISSOURI REVERSIBLE TERMINAL MEMBER FOR swr'rcn romas Application filed 0ctober'25, 1930.

This invention relates to devicesof the kindfthat areused to prolong the "life of that portion of a railway switchof the split type that is commonly referred to as the switch point. I

One object of our invention is to provide an inexpensive renewable member for switch points that canbe applied or installedeasily and without removing the switch point from Another object is to ,provide a renewable terminal member for switch points, which is of such constructionthat'after it has been subjected to considerable wear, it can be reversed so as tobring into service a different portion of said member, thereby doubling the life of the member, and consequently, reducing the cost of maintenance of split switches.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a railway switch ofthe split type, whose point is provided with a renewable terminal member constructed in accordance with our invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of said switch; and

of said switch, taken through the terminal member of the switch point.

In the drawings A designates the point of a railway switch of the split type, and B designates the running rail with which said point co-acts. The point A is provided with a renewable terminal member, designated as an entirety by the reference character C, which member is made of mangahaving great wear-resisting properties and constructed in such a manner that it can be easily mounted on or removed from the point A. In the preferred form of our invention herein illustrated the terminal member C consists of a casting having a vertically-disposed web 1 provided at one end of its longitudi nal edges with a horizontally-disposed flange 2 that projects laterally in one direction from said web, longitudinal edge with a horizontally-disposed flange 2**- that projects laterally in the opposite direction, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view "portion 3, will be and provided at its other- Serial No. 491,210.

The flange 2 has an upwardly-projecting i is mounted on the switch point A in such a manner that when said point is arranged in operative relationship with the running rail B, one of the wheel-engaging portions on the terminal member C, for example, the so disposed with relation to thehead of the running rail that the flange of an approaching car wheel will strike against the front end of said wheelengaging portion 3 and be moved laterally by the same, so as to guide the the head orwheel tread surface of the switch point. After the wheel-engaging portion 3 wheel onto of the terminal said member is down, so asito bring into service the other wheel=engaging portion 3 thereon;

As shown in the drawings, the terminal end portion of the A is removed so as -ceiving the operative or active wheel-engaging portion ofthe terminal memberCQ Likewise, the'terminal portion of the base flange of the point A is removed at the inner side of the point so as to form a space for receiving the inoperative or inactive wheel-engag ing portion of the terminal member C. When said terminal member C is arranged in operative position on said switch point,

member B has become worn,

reversed "or turned upside headof the switch point to form a space for rethe vertical web of said member lies'agai nst the inner side of'that portion of the web 4 of the point A from which the head has been removed, and the laterally projecting flange at the top edge of said web 1 laps over and bears against the a web 4 .of the switch point. Each of the wheel engaging portions 3 and 3 of the terminal member C is provided at its inner side with a substantially vertically-disposed surface a? that is adapted to co-act with the side face of the head of the running rail, and each of'said wheel engaging portions is provided at its outer side with an inclined surfaceyy that "is adapted to co-act with the vflange of a wheel that passes overtheswitch,

top edge of the bolts are tightened.

tions being rounded off or made of slightly convex shape, both horizontally and vertically, as indicated by the reference character 2 in Figures 1 and 2, so as to eliminate the possibility of the flange of a car wheel being subjected to a sudden shock or jar when the wheel passes from the running rail onto the point A.

It is immaterial what means is employed to detachably connect the terminal member C to the switch point A. Usually, horizontally-disposed bolts 1) will be employed for this purpose. As shown in the drawings, holes are formed in the web 1 of the member B and in the web 4: of the switch point to receive the bolts D, said bolt holes being preferably so located or formed that when the bolts D are inserted, the heads of the bolts will bear against a horizontally-dis posed surface at the inner side of the web 1 of the member C, and thus prevent the bolts from turning when the nuts on the This method of attaching the terminal member C to the switch point permits said member to be easily installed or removed without the necessity of removing the switch point from the track. It also permits the terminal member C to be easily reversed or turned upside down, so as to bring into service the wheel tread portion at the lower edge of the member C after the wheel tread portion at the top edge of said member has become unduly worn. After the terminal member C has been installed or combined with the switch point A it virtually forms an integral portion of the switch point as the laterallyprojecting flange at the top edge of said member bears firmly upon the top edge of the portion of the web 4 of the switch point from which the head has been removed, and the web 1 of the member C is clamped tightly throughout its entire length against the inner face of the web A of the switch point.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A renewable terminal member for switch points, having a web that is adapted to be arranged in overlapping relationship with the web of a point and secured to same, and a wheel-engaging portion at the top edge of the web of said terminal member provided at its inner side with a surface that is adapted to bear against the head of a running rail and provided on its outer side with a wheel flange engaging surface.

2. A split switch provided with a point, a portion of whose head has been removed, and a terminal member detachably connected to said point and provided with a plurality of wheel-engaging portions, one of which virtually forms a continuation of the head of the point and the other wheel-engaging portion being arranged on the inner side of the point between the same and the running rail with which the point co-acts.

3. A split switch having a point whose terminal portion comprises a vertically-disposed. web and a notched base flange at the inner side of said web, and a reversible terminal member secured to said web and provided with an active wheel-engaging portion that laps over the top edge of the web and also provided with an inactive wheel-engaging portion that is positioned in the notch in the base flange of the point.

4;. A split switch having a point whose head is removed at the terminal end of the point, and a reversible terminal member removably mounted on the point, said terminal member consisting of a casting having a vertical web that bears against the inner side of the web of the point, an active wheelengaging portion on the web of said casting that laps over the web of the point, and an inactive wheel-engaging portion on the web of the casting that lies between the point and the running rail with which the point co-acts.

ROBERT E. EINSTEIN. BENJAMIN B. BETTS. 

